In a significant move, Minnesota’s Democratic Governor Tim Walz granted a pardon on Wednesday to a Laotian national previously convicted of armed robbery, a decision that stopped impending deportation proceedings by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The individual in question, Jai Vang, was originally convicted in 1994 for aiding and abetting armed robbery in Hennepin County. At the time of the crime, Vang was just 18 years old, according to reports from FOX 9.
After serving his sentence, Vang was released and continued to live in the United States. However, he later found himself facing deportation by ICE.
Governor Walz presided over a clemency hearing for Vang alongside Minnesota Chief Supreme Court Justice Natalie Hudson on May 27, 2026, offering him a chance to remain in the country.
Earlier this year, Vang was detained by ICE during Operation Metro Surge, a targeted enforcement action in the Minneapolis area, as per a release from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
This case is part of broader immigration enforcement efforts, where ICE is seeking individuals with extensive criminal records, including those described by DHS as the “worst of the worst.”
When Gov. Tim Walz learned of Vang’s arrest by the federal government, and that Vang had requested clemency to avoid being deported in June, the governor called a special session of the state’s Board of Pardons’ Clemency Review Commission to ensure the case was reviewed before Vang’s deportation could be completed.
The Clemency Review Commission, which was joined by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and state supreme court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, voted unanimously to pardon Vang.
Jai Vang was arrested by federal immigration authorities in Minnesota in January 2026. (Department of Homeland Security)
The commission reasoned that Vang hadn’t committed further crimes since he was released from prison, had started a family and owns a local painting business.
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During the hearing, Walz inaccurately referred to Vang as a “citizen.”
He said Vang has become a “critical member of the community” since his release from prison.
“I can find no reason how Minnesota will be safer or better if Mr. Vang is deported to a country he has not been to since he was a child. I do not see how it would serve his family, nor the economic interest where we have a taxpaying citizen who is creating job growth and living a life free from any criminal activity,” Walz said.
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Ellison, who joined by phone, noted that he reviewed Vang’s file and agreed with board members’ comments supporting Vang’s petition for clemency.
Federal immigration agents toss tear gas during a house raid in Minneapolis, Minn., on Jan. 13, 2026, amid a crackdown on undocumented immigrants under Operation Metro Surge. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Walz bitterly fought the federal government during Operation Metro Surge, echoing far-left rhetoric that compared ICE agents to Nazis. He referred to agents as President Donald Trump’s “modern-day Gestapo,” which drew a sharp rebuke from then-Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons.
Lyons implored Walz to tone down the rhetoric, saying, “if the governor doesn’t like the laws, he’s free to advocate that Congress change them, but he should refrain from putting ICE officers in danger by likening them to one of the most appalling groups in history.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Walz’s office.
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